COVID-19's impact on the European museum sector

It is clear that the European museum sector is heavily affected by the COVID-19 outbreak and the measures taken to contain it. According to a survey that NEMO carried out, the majority of museums in European countries are closed to the public. Exception (as of 17 March): the UK keeps museums open for individual visits, but visitor numbers have dropped severely. Museums in various Croatian regions are closed. Museums in Sweden are still open but only for 500 people at the time.

Update: Starting 24 March 2020, all museums in the UK are officially closed.

NEMO, the Network of European Museum Organisations, has been following the spread of COVID-19 closely. We stand in solidarity with every person and organisations that are affected by the virus and by the measures taken to contain it. The coronavirus has affected all countries in Europe and it is clear that the museum sector is taking a heavy toll.

According to a NEMO survey on the impact of the COVID-19 measures on museums, the majority of museums in European countries are closed to the public. Exception (as of 17 March): the UK keeps museums open for individual visits, but visitor numbers have dropped severely. Museums in various Croatian regions are closed. Museums in Sweden are still open but only for 500 people at the time.

For now, most of the museums in Europe are closed until the end of March 2020, some of them even until mid-April.

For museum operations, this means that

Staff is asked to stay at home and work remotely if possible and necessary

NEMO keeps monitoring the situation and asks all museums and museum organisations to keep us updated.

NEMO urges governments at all levels in Europe to adopt appropriate emergency measures to support museums to make it through this challenging time, as well as to support the sustainability of the cultural sector at large.

NEMO welcomes the European Commission’s Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA)’s swift response on the potential effect of COVID-19 on EU funded projects that might be hindered, or partially / temporarily affected, by mobility restrictions.

NEMO recognises its own responsibility in slowing down the spread of COVID-19. Starting on Monday 15 March 2020 and for as long as necessary, NEMO will postpone meetings and training opportunities organised by the network unless we are able to find a digital solution. We will contact any affected participants well in advance and give them further information. The office will largely work from home until 3 April. Operations will go on as normal and we will continue to update members about the situation for museums in Europe. Consider sending an email to office@ne-mo.org instead of calling since the office at times will be unattended.

NEMO was invited to join the panel “Museums and the Future We Want”, which took place online on 26 May 2020. The panel was part of the Russian “International Forum Museum Guide” and focused on museums and sustainable development...